Chapter 7

Who is Fang Gang? He is the fifth incarnation of Lu Li, one of the four great calligraphers of the Qing Dynasty, excelling in both painting and calligraphy, and serving as a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet.

Upon hearing it was Fang Gang's work, he was greatly startled, then became both amused and exasperated. Well, his own calligraphy had become a masterpiece by a famous artist. This was truly a marvel, how the world had changed over several hundred years.

Xu Liang looked at Lu Li with doubt, not quite understanding, and turned to continue, "It's undoubtedly from the Qing Dynasty, by Fang Gang. What's more, this piece of calligraphy was written by Fang Gang for his friend's father's birthday, and it is unique in the country."

"For a birthday?"

Liu Zhongtian was overjoyed, thinking it was such a coincidence. He was about to celebrate the old man's birthday, and then he encountered a piece of calligraphy for a birthday. What else could it be but fate?

Lu Li, however, was taken aback and said strangely, "Fang Gang was successful in his career and was carefree, with many frivolous friends but few true friends. As for writing calligraphy for a friend's father's birthday, how could I not remember?"

"Ridiculous!" Xu Liang's face darkened, and he retorted disdainfully, "Fang Gang was from the Qing Dynasty. How could you know what he did?"

Seeing that Xu Liang and Lu Li were about to quarrel, Liu Zhongtian shook his head at Lu Li and tried to smooth things over, "Boss Xu, my young brother doesn't know how to speak. Don't take it to heart. I've studied the works of many famous artists and know quite a bit about Fang Gang. Let me take a look first."

"Mr. Liu, please."

Xu Liang glared at Lu Li and then turned to Liu Zhongtian with a full smile. He carefully unrolled the scroll and casually introduced it, "The brushwork is deep and rich, the strokes full and strong, the bones and sinews robust, just like Fang Gang's style."

Liu Zhongtian put on gloves, held one end of the scroll, and nodded while looking at it, praising it repeatedly.

Lu Li glanced at it once and then looked no more, his eyes full of disdain.

After the appraisal, Liu Zhongtian took off his gloves and, after a moment's thought, said, "Boss Xu, this piece of calligraphy is indeed excellent. Give me a price."

Xu Liang, facing the question of the price, did not answer immediately but pondered for a moment, "Mr. Liu, you should understand the rules of our trade?"

"I understand. Once a transaction is made, no returns or exchanges, regardless of authenticity."

"Since Mr. Liu is an expert, I won't elaborate. The price is nine million yuan."

Just as Liu Zhongtian was about to nod, Lu Li suddenly put down his teacup and shook his head mockingly, "Nine million for this fake? Boss Xu, this business is too easy, isn't it?"

Lu Li's sudden outburst, declaring the scroll a fake, not only made Xu Liang furious but also displeased Liu Zhongtian.

He had observed for a long time and was convinced the scroll was genuine, but Lu Li's words clearly doubted his expertise. Despite Liu Zhongtian's gentle nature, he was still somewhat dissatisfied at being publicly embarrassed.

"Kid, don't talk nonsense. Our Ji Baozhai has the best appraisers in Haicheng. Could they all be wrong?" Xu Liang snorted coldly.

Liu Zhongtian also said, "Lu Li, from the ink, style, and the history of the scroll, I believe it is indeed a genuine piece from the Qing Dynasty."

Seeing Liu Zhongtian's stubborn face, firmly believing his judgment, Lu Li spread his hands helplessly. If he wanted to be deceived, what could he do?

If someone else's work might be misjudged, his own handwriting, even after several hundred years, could still be recognized at a glance.

No matter how realistic the imitation, it could not escape his eyes.

"Brother Liu, I can't explain the specifics, but the scroll is definitely a fake. Fang Gang, as a Han Chinese living in the Qing Dynasty, appeared carefree but was inwardly troubled and particularly cautious. His calligraphy is regular and follows rules, with no stroke without a source, lacking his own style. This piece is too obviously contrived, so it cannot be his work."

Lu Li pointed at the scroll and spoke confidently. Given Liu Zhongtian's background, who could easily give away five million, nine million was not a big deal, but he couldn't stand by and watch someone he knew be cheated.

"Nonsense." Xu Liang was furious, "What does a kid like you know? This has been appraised by experts who have studied calligraphy longer than you've been alive. Are they not as good as you?"

"Learning has its sequence, and the one who reaches it first is the teacher."

Lu Li was too lazy to argue and quoted a few famous sayings.

"Hmph."

Xu Liang snorted, turned to Liu Zhongtian, and said, very dissatisfied, "Mr. Liu, if I hadn't promised you, this scroll would have been sold last night. The price is nine million yuan. If you don't want to buy it, feel free to leave."

Liu Zhongtian frowned, looked at Lu Li, and gritted his teeth, "Boss Xu, bring the contract!"

Xu Liang glared provocatively at Lu Li, lowered his head, and took out the contract, pushing it in front of Liu Zhongtian, "Mr. Liu, please."

Watching Liu Zhongtian and Xu Liang quickly complete the transaction, Lu Li sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling dispirited.

Honest advice is hard to hear. Having experienced eight reincarnations, he understood this phrase deeply. Every great achievement in his cycles was due to accepting advice from subordinates or friends.

Coming out of the inner room, Liu Zhongtian saw Lu Li's dejected look and felt quite apologetic, so he said, "Lu Li, the old man's birthday is coming up, and it's hard to find a suitable gift in a short time. I thought this piece of calligraphy was quite good, and nine million isn't much, so—"

"Brother Liu, I understand."

Lu Li smiled, "If this piece is from an ancient artist, it's enough to leave a name in the calligraphy world. If it's from a contemporary, it could even make someone a calligrapher."

Lu Fang, who was with Jiajia, saw the two come out and hurriedly came forward. She looked at Lu Li in surprise and asked, "Lu Li, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. When we were appraising the scroll, Brother Liu thought it was genuine, but I thought it was a fake."

Lu Fang frowned and said helplessly, "He has this bad temper. Every time he appraises calligraphy, he acts on his own, ignoring everyone's opinions, and he rarely gets it right."

Liu Zhongtian looked embarrassed, and Lu Li smiled.

"It's not early, let's go eat."

Lu Fang waved to Jiajia, who was holding a bag, her face flushed with excitement.

Lu Li smiled and patted her head, pointing at the bag and asked, "Is this the gift for Grandpa? Can I see it?"

"Okay, but you can't break it." Jiajia bit her finger and thought for a moment, then said.

"Of course not."

Taking the bag from Jiajia, he took out a beautifully packaged red box. Inside was a Qing Dynasty snuff bottle.

Lu Li's eyes lit up as he looked at the snuff bottle and said, "This snuff bottle is quite good. How much did it cost?"

"Really?" Jiajia was excited and quickly counted on her fingers, "Mom said it cost ten thousand, all my New Year's money."

Lu Li was depressed when he heard this.

He had probably handled less money in his entire life than ten thousand. There was no comparison!

"This is from the Qianlong period. I don't know how much it's worth, but it's definitely more than ten thousand."

The little girl was so excited by Lu Li's words that she jumped up, hugged his neck, and kissed him hard.

Liu Zhongtian and Lu Fang exchanged glances and smiled with relief.

After lunch, it was already two in the afternoon. After parting ways with Liu Zhongtian's family, Lu Li went to the bank.

It took five days to make one deal, and it was even a favor. Who could he complain to?

Withdrawing ten thousand, his account had only eight hundred left, which was the living expenses Xiao Junlan gave him when he returned to school. In fact, Liu Zhongtian planned to give him thirty thousand, but he firmly refused.

"I need to make money, I need to make money."

Facing the bustling street, Lu Li suddenly shouted, drawing the attention of passersby.